Portable clothes-reel.



J. T. PILKINGTON.

PORTABLE CLOTHES REEL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18. 1914.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

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J. T. PILKINGTON. PORTABLE CLOTHES REEL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18. 1914.

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Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

J. T. PILKINGTON.

PORTABLE CLOTHES REEL. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1914.

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WIT/VESSES JOI-IN THOMAS PLKINGTON, OF ENDERBY, BRITISH COLUMBIA,CANADA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO STEQPI-IEQN' LELLMAN, OF ENDERBY,BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

POR/TABLE CLOTHES-REEL.

`Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Original application filed June 13, 1913, Serial No. 773,465. Dividedand this application filed August 18, 1914. Serial No. 857,429.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, JOHN T. Piniri'NsToN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and

a resident of Enderby, in the Province of British Columbia and Dominionof Canada, have invented a new and Improved Portable Clothes-Reel, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to clothes reels of that type having a plurality ofarms carrying separate clothes means.`

A design of my invention is to provide a reel in which the several armsmay be revolved separately or in unison; in which the respective armsmay be turned to bring them into vertical alinement whereby the reel maybe run through a doorway or be conveniently placed on a veranda or incompact form adjacent to a building.

lt is a yfurther design of my invention to provide. novel means forelevating the respective arms on the main post or standard.

It is also a `design of my invention to improve in various particularsdevices of the general character indicated; to the end that efliciencyin operation may be promoted as well as economy in manufacture andsimpllcity of adjustment and control.

The present application is a division of an application iled by me June13, 1913, Serial No. 773,465.

The `distinguishing features of my invention and the improved structuralelements characterizing the practical embodiment which is illustrated asan example will be more particularly explained in the speciiicdescription following.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clothes reel embodying my invention,dotted lines indicating a raised position of the arms; Fig. 2 is a planview; Fig. 3 is a'partial vertical section; Fig. 4 isl a fragmentaryvertical section on a larger scale, parts being` broken out; Fig. 5 is asectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryperspective view of one of the sliding members to which the arms aresecured; and Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are details to be hereinafter referred to.

ln constructing a clothes reel to embody my invention in accordance withthe illustrated example, a base 10 is provided on which the main post orstandard 11 is supported, the base desirably being formed of radiallyextending arms secured to the post by brackets 12 and bolts 1221.` Aseries of endless clothes lines 13, 13a, 13", here illustrated as threein number, are carried by radial arms 14, 15, 16, the arms for each ofthe clothes lines being arranged in pairs, the arms of each pair beingopposite, diametrically. The arms are secured to vertically slidingsupports 17, 18, 19 fitted in vertical series on the main post 11.

In order to elevate the clothes lines, a telescoping post section 20 issleeved on the main post 11, and is adapted to be raised and lowered bya lift bar 21 fitted within the post 11 and having guided verticalmovement by suitable guides such as elements 24. The guides 24 are shownas two spaced sides of a three sided boX secured vertically in the upperend of the hollow standard 11. The lift bar is actuated by a rope 22which is wound on the reel 23. The upper end of the telescoping postsection 20 has a cap 25 preferably formed with a central bearing 26against which a bearing ball 27 on the lift bar 21 has a bearing whenthe lift bar 21 is raised by the rope 22. The result is that the capwill be raised by the said lift bar and will carry upward the postsection 20. In order that the upward movement of the telecoping postsection 20 will successively raise the arms 14, 15, etc., and theirrespective clothes lines, each slide support 17, 18, 19, is providedwith spaced collars 28, 29, 30, there being an upper and a lower collaron each slide, one of which is adapted to be engaged by collars 31, 32,33 on the telescoping section 20. Thus the uppermost collar 31 on thetelescoping sections will engage the lower collar 28 on the upper slide17, thereby raising the uppermost arms 14 and their clothes line 13. Acontinued movement of the telescoping section will cause the next lowercollar 32 thereon to engage the upper collar 29 on the succeeding slide18 and carry the arms 15 of the latter and their clothes line 13aupwardly. Next, the lowermost collar 33 on the telescoping section willengage the upper collar 30 on the sleeve 19 and thereby raise the thirdset of arms 16 and their clothes line 13".

With the several arms in the raised position, it will be obvious thatall will be supported on the ball bearing 27 of the slide 21,

and also that the telescoping section may ybe revolved on said bearing.In order that section, I provide for an interlocked en` gagement betweenthe several slides 17, 18, 19 and the said telescoping section, to whichend the collar on each slide that is engaged by `the collar on thetelescope section is formed with corrugations indicated at 29 in Fig. 6,and similar corrugations 31 (Fig. 7 are produced on the opposed edges ofthe collars on the said telescoping section or equivalent means providedto effect an interlocked 'engagement between the respective collars. Thecollars 31, 32, 33 may be secured in any suitable manner as by producinga hole 31b therein to receive a fastenl ing pin to be passed into thesection 20. It

is possible also to raise any slide 17, 18 or 19 so as to disengage itfrom the telescoping section whereby any individual slide and each setof arms and the clothes line may be revolved independently of theothers, the result being that all the sets of arms may be disposed incruciform as indicated in Fig. 2, or be so disposed as to all points invertical alinement to present the minimum `total width in whichadjustmentthe reel is adapted to be passed through a door into thehouse, or be placed .close against the house as on a porch for instance.If it is not desired to utilize the locking function of collar 31, thelatter may be secured with its uncorrugated side uppermost.

For the moving of thereel and to bring the base into compact form tocorrespond i' kwith .the folded position of the arms, the

base members 10 have their outer ends 10 hinged as at 10b so that theouter portions may be'folded into parallelism as indicated in dottedlines, Fig. 2. Running rollers or casters 10c may be provided on theouter ends, of the folding sections as indicated in The respectiveclothes lines are endless and supported on pulleys 34 which are mountedon the outer ends of their-respective pairsofreel arms. The pulleys areadjustable to vary the distance between the respective pairs; thepulleys are held by keepers 35 and pins 36 which may be removed toadjust the pulleys, there being provided radial series of holes 37 inthe arms 14, 15, etc., (see Fig. 8).

In order to sustain the respective arms 14, 15, etc., against saggingunder the weight of the clothes, the brace arms 38 are provided,preferably in U-shape form as shown in Fig. 9, the U bend of the bracesAbeing rockable in eyes 39 of the respective arms.-

rlhe inner ends of thebraces are receivable in `any convenient member as40 on the slides 17,18, etc., (see 6), the inner ends being passedthrough said members and receiving the cotter pins 43 whereby the bracesmay be detached at their inner ends and permit the arms 14,15, etc., tofold either upwardly or downwardly into approximate parallelism with themain post. The braces 38 are surrounded near their lower ends by spiralsprings 41 which serve to yieldingly sustain the arms and clothes line,the springs bearing at their inner ends against the members 40 of theslides, and at their outer ends against adjusting nuts 42 to vary theirtension.

The slides 17, 18, 19 in the example shown consist of sections 44 (Fig.6). The'adjacent sides of each section are in the form of webs 45 whichare integral with the collars 28, 29, etc., the arms 14, 15, etc., beingsecured as by pivot pins 46 or equivalent to the respective sections 44.

In the illustrated example also (see Fig. 4), the rope 22 from the reel23 is shown as running into the interior of the fixed post 11 through ahole 11 therein around a lower guide sheave 47 thence to an upper sheavev48 on said post then downward and around a sheave 49 in the fork 21n onthe slide 21, and then to any suitable fixture 50 within the post. Bythe described arrangement, it will be seen that the rope has runningengagement with the sheave 49 on the slide 21. Any suitable means may beprovided for turning the reel 23. I have shown devices for giving aratchet movement to the reel; thus a crank handle 23a on the reelcarries a pawl 51 which engages a ratchet 52, there being a second pawlor holding dog 51a also in engagement with the ratchet. A pull wire 51bmay connect with pawl 51 and with a lever 51c fulcrumed on crank handle23. The reel may be removed if desired by loosening the bolts 53 on thebearing plates 54 that receive the journals 23b of the reel.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, it will be apparent that by reason ofthe spring pressed brace arms 38, the tension of the springs may besuch, and in practice will be such as to maintain the arms 14, 15, etc.,at a slight angle above the horizontal, so as to dispose the pulleys atan inclination to the horizontal, to better enable the line with theclothes directly pinned thereon to pass around the pulley without theline leaving the said pulleys, the arms are swung downwardly under theweight of the clothes, and will finally approach or reach the horizontalposition so that the opposite arms of each slide will be diametricallyopposite or approximately so. Since as the arms move downwardly from aposition at angles to each other toward a position in line with eachother, the opposite pulleys 34 will be at an increasing distance fromeach other, the result being that the line will be tightened andmaintained on the pulleys and prevented from leaving the pulleys. Thearms 14, etc., constitute frames for supporting the line pulleys, andwhen arms are referred to, it is understood that any equivalent frame ismeant.

Having thus described my invention, Iv

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a reel of the kind described, a central post, a vertical series offrames, means for mounting the frames to slide vertically and to turnabout the post, each frame eX- tending in two opposite directions fromthe post, said frames each havingr means to support a clothes line,means for raising and lowering the frames independently of one anotherfor turning relatively to one another, and movable means to interlockthe several frames with one another and cause the same to turn inunison.

2. In a reel of the kind described, a post, a vertical series ofseparate frames mounted to turn about the post, each frame eX- tendingin opposite directions from the post, and having means to support aclothes line, means to support the frames independently of one anotherfor turning relatively to one another, and movable means to interlockthe several :trames with one another and cause the same to turn inunison.

3. A reel of the kind described, comprising a relatively liXed post, avertical series of frames, means mounting said :trames to slide on thepost or to turn thereon, a post section mounted to slide and to turn onthe fixed post, means for raising and lowering said post section, andmeans on said section to engage the several frames in succession, theseveral frames being movable to positions in planes crossing each other,or into vertical alinement with each other to extend in the samedirections.

t. A reel of the kind described comprising a relatively iiXed post, apost section mounted to slide and to turn on the iiXed post, framesmounted to slide and to turn on said section, means on said section toengage the several Jframes in succession to raise and lower the frames,and means for locking 'the frames to the movable postsection to turnwith the latter or for unlocking the `frames to permit them to turnindependently.

5. In a reel of the kind described, a central post, sets of arms mountedto turn on the post, the arms of each set extending from the post in twoopposite directions, means to support the frames independently of oneanother for turning movement relatively to one another, and means toconnect the several sets of arms to cause them to turn in unison, theseveral sets when unlocked being adapted to turn independently and beingmovable into positions in planes at angles to each other or intovertical alinement and disposed in the same direction.

6. In a reel of the kind described, a iXed post, a revoluble verticallymovable post section thereon, a vertical series of slides separatelyslidable and revoluble on the said post section, said slides having armsprojecting in two opposite directions therefrom and pivotally connectedwith the slide to rock vertically, and means on the arms to supportclothes lines, the slides including collars surrounding the movable postsection, and the latter also having collars, the collars of the slidesand the post section having mating members to interlock with each otherwhen brought together.

7. In a clothes reel, a post, a base formed of cross arms, the outerends of said arms being hinged so that they all may fold intoapproximate parallelism or into cruciform, frames revoluble on the postand presenting arms extending in opposite directions at two sides, andmeans supporting a clothes line on said arms, the frames being adaptedto be turned into approximate vertical alinement with the arms of thebasewhen the latter are parallel with each other.

8. In a clothes reel, a post, a vertically sliding post section thereon,a series of frames mounted to slide and to turn on the said post sectionand hating means Jfor supporting a clothes line, a slide within the mainpost, a cap on the sliding post section, means for raising the slide inthe post into contact with the said cap, the said post section whenengaged by the slide being adapted to turn on `the latter, and means forlocking the frames to the sliding post section to cause them to turnwith the latter or permit the said frames to be unlocked from thesliding post section to turn independently of the latter.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN THOMAS PILKINGTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

